Fitzgerald predicts newcomers' heads will be spinning early in camp

All but one of Northwestern's scholarship freshmen attended summer school and optional workouts. Still NU coach Pat Fitzgerald predicted before the team's first practice Monday that the newbies would be overwhelmed.

"They have absolutely no chance to have any idea what they are getting into," he said. "They've all watched practice and thought: Oh, yeah, I can do this.

"And then four, five periods into it, a little guy in their head will start whispering bad things to them. By about period 14, 15, that little man has complete control. And by 19, they want to go home and see their mom. We practice fast."

Following the two-hour workout and another 45 minutes of conditioning, Ifeadi Odenigbo could not disagree with his coach.

"Nothing's easy," he said. "Division I football isn't easy. Today was a pretty tough practice, but I'll get used to it."

Odenigbo is arguably the highest-rated rated recruit in school history, a SuperPrep All-American ranked by ESPN.com as the Midwest's top player.

But he remains a prime candidate for a redshirt because his academically-minded parents did not let him play football until his sophomore year at Centerville (Ohio) High. And although he is already up to 226 pounds after gaining 17 over the summer, he could use more bulk.

"If they think I need a year to comprehend this whole linebacker thing, I'm fine with that," the 6-foot-3 Odenigbo said. "If they want me to play, I'm fine with that. It's really a coach's decision."

Fitzgerald's decision could be influenced by NU's linebacking needs. Coach Gary Barnett removed Fitzgerald's redshirt during NU's second game in 1993 after injuries to linebackers Hugh Williams and Steve Ostrowski.

"I traveled to South Bend and didn't play," Fitzgerald recalled. "Then in the middle of the second quarter against Boston College, I was in. I wish I'd paid more attention."

All business: Rather than celebrating the NCAA's decision to let him play this season, USC transfer Kyle Prater said he sat down with family members and "discussed the next step — and that's focusing on this season. No distractions."

To that end, Prater, a wide receiver, said he will take a break from Twitter. Before doing so, he changed his handle from @DaReal_21 to the more straightforward @KPrater21.

Just a scare:Malin Jones' first college practice did not end well. Trainers attended to the freshman tailback from Joliet Catholic for 10 to 15 minutes, then carted him off the field. Turns out that Jones merely suffered from dehydration.